Chapter 1.
Z was a lion, one with knowledge of her striking beauty and reserves of wisdom and experience. She drew confidence from what she knew and knew that it wasn’t knowledge the rest of the jungle shared. She was self indulgent but not destructive, she had plans for herself and for her future.
She was queen, but hated it.
She wanted to be king.
And she could do it.
The other lionesses sensed a superior force and and in typical pack mentality distanced themselves from her and found fault and devious motives behind whatever Z touched.
Z never indulged in the games at the watering hole, she was well aware of their existence and their potential to effectuate changes in the pack but chose not to indulge.
Her amusement, if you must call it that was provided by the night, by stars, by twilight skies of a thousand shades of orange, by fires blazing untamed and wild in the distance, by the earth and all its bounty she was grateful for, she had so much to take in, so much to absorb, she remembered the past of the packs before her and learned lessons, but above all she was born on the right day, under the right stars, she was an expression of perfection created by the alignment of planets, of stars and love.
Her advice was never asked for but always taken.
Z never had to play King; she was a living embodiment of what King should be.
She lived alone, on a higher plateau, away from the daily routine.
Z had a most special place she would go to, a rock, about four feet by feet, pointing north, jutting out of a cliff face a three hundred feet above the ground.
She would walk up there on certain nights, and sit on her perch gently the moonlight would kiss her and bathe her in its mystery that only she completely understood.
On the night the hunt began , Z was on her way up to her perch atop the cliff, as she approached her spot, she saw in the distance the silhouette of another lion.
Her first thought was that he clearly somehow knew he was intruding on her space, who ever he was or wherever he was from.
Gracious, as she was, she chose to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe the poor lion was lost she thought as she walked up to him.
Now in clear view, just a couple of feet away, she stood looking at him.
He continued staring over the cliff into the path the moonlight had put him on.
He could feel the heat and energy she radiated without turning to see her.
He knew whom he had accidentally offended.
He wasn’t lost, he too lived outside his pack.
They both were there for one reason and one reason alone, the moon.
It was only the moon that could draw a spirit that strong to this place, and it for that reason Z was unsure of how to respond, since up until this moment it was her alone that experienced this.
Without any communication it was already clear, they were there for the same reason.
This moment was when Z acknowledged A’s right to be there, albeit silently.
He turned towards, and with a sudden gust of wind his mane flew high above his head, his eyes like large crystal balls of solid black reflecting grey, looked at her and his gaze reached deep into her soul of a thousand lives before…they both stood captured by the moment, higher above a solitary eagle was joined by another in the distance and in unison the two birds made a sound that pierced the heart of the night. In those moments of silence, he saw her first as only he could know her, then, as she was today, and finally as she was choosing to become, such were the powers of that moon that night.
He was still tuned in to the one, the moon his messenger, locked in he received image after image…. he was getting vivid instructions from the moon, his eyes wide and now once again focused ahead, when completely out of character Z in her sweetest voice, that she had never heard before, said, “I didn’t know anybody else knew about this place”.
He gently asked the moons permission to leave and smiled to himself as he bowed his head and then gently turned toward her and said, “There’s more to this place you have found, it’s not a destination or one static moment, time doesn’t visit this place, it is exempt from time, it’s a path, its only just the beginning most beautiful Z, I too was like you, I too started right here, I’ve been to where this place takes its chosen few, I just felt the desire to come back here tonight, I don’t know why…just yet”.
Who was this lion? And why did Z almost allow herself to be intrigued by his answer?
And most of all, how did he know her name?
His words fell on Z like they came from a higher place, not from another lion, at least not the kind she was used to seeing around with the other lionesses.
She asked him who he was and were he was from, to which he smiled and said, Z even a lion must lay to rest its pride to move on to another world, im here to take you to that place, I am simply a messenger, a messenger of someone you have come to love dearly over the years. I am A, we will know each other once more.
She smiled and looked up facing the moon and as if to give as an offering a token of appreciation she gave something she had never given before… from each eye a tear traced the curves of her face and fell to the earth.
They both sat together and spoke until the darkness and mystery of the night was washed blue and orange by dawn, signaling the death of contemplation and messages and the birth of their new journey together.
Sebastiana
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